Little Mike restores American fortunes in Arlington Million

Little Mike answered the distance question emphatically (Four Footed Fotos) European invaders swept the first three events at Arlington Park’s International Festival of Racing on Saturday, but the marquee race, the Grade 1, $1 million Arlington Million, was reclaimed for America by Priscilla Vaccarezza’s front-running Little Mike. Previously untested at this 1 1/4-mile trip, the Dale Romans charge got away with a leisurely pace for Ramon Dominguez and stormed 1 1/2 lengths clear of English invader Afsare. Dominguez had also ridden the last American-based winner of the Arlington Million, Gio Ponti, in 2009. Europe had dominated the past two years, courtesy of Debussy and Cape Blanco, and the trend was widely expected to continue Saturday. Crackerjack King, half-brother and stablemate of Saturday’s American St. Leger hero Jakkalberry, was dispatched as the 7-2 favorite. Little Mike ranked as the co-second choice, also at 7-2. The lone speed in this spot, he had posted a wire-to-wire victory in the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic two starts back on Derby Day at Churchill Downs. Little Mike posted a similar performance here, except that he was allowed to dictate through even softer fractions at Arlington. Gliding to the lead through an opening quarter in :25, Little Mike bowled along merrily through splits of :49 4/5, 1:15 and 1:39 2/5. Willcox Inn and Colombian tracked early, while Crackerjack King raced farther back. Afsare, who pitched a protracted fit when the starting crew tried to load him, showed a better demeanor when rating for Kieren Fallon, but was leaving himself plenty to do in the latter stages.

Little Mike galloped with gusto into the stretch and delivered the coup de
grace. Quickening impressively off his slow early tempo, he opened up by 4 1/2
lengths in midstretch. Afsare picked up strongly himself and soon emerged as the
only challenger.

But Little Mike was well and truly gone. Although Afsare cut into his margin,
Little Mike was never seriously threatened as he completed 1 1/4 miles on the
good turf in 2:02 2/5 and paid $9.80, $5.60 and $4.40.

The winner’s circle ceremony involved another Mike — the legendary Mike
Ditka.

“If anyone asks, we can go a mile and a half,” owner/breeder Carlo Vaccarezza
enthused. “To be honest I was on pins and needles. Nobody believed in this
horse. You know the horse better than anyone else. This horse ran tremendously.
Dale Romans did a fantastic job.”

“I felt good about him,” Romans said. “He’s training so well, and his two
best races were a mile and an eighth, and nobody thought he could go a mile and
an eighth. So a little different pace scenario, when you go three-quarters in
1:15, he’s going to be hard to catch.”

“He was running very comfortable,” Dominguez recapped. “Turning for home when
I decided to let him run, he beautifully started opening up. I wasn’t sure how
slow we were going. I got to the three-eighths pole and he started to open it
up. I tried to slow him down to this point (before), but from now on I’m going
to let him spring home. He galloped home like a freight train.”

Little Mike had plenty left after slow early fractions (Four Footed Fotos) Fallon dismissed the idea that Afsare’s pre-race meltdown affected him. “I know what was happening (with eventual winner Little Mike setting a slow pace), and there was nothing I could do,” Fallon said. “I had to ride my horse to win, and there was no pace. His antics didn’t cost him. He just acts like a spoiled child sometimes and didn’t want the gate. He has a big race in him.” Another 1 1/2 lengths adrift came Rahystrada and Colombian, who dead-heated for third. Crackerjack King missed sharing in the dead-heat by a nose. Treasure Beach, last year’s Grade 1 Secretariat winner, crossed the wire sixth, followed by Wigmore Hall , Willcox Inn, co-second choice Boisterous, Cherokee Lord and Vertiformer. Colombian’s jockey William Buick, who also finished third in the Grade 1 Beverly D. with Joviality and in the American St. Leger with Zuider Zee on Saturday, commented on his effort.

“Was I third again?” Buick asked. “He gave a good run.  He probably ran
the race of his life. We’re certainly happy. You’d like to win every time you go
out there, but I’ll settle for what I got today. I couldn’t be happier with what
an honest race he ran.”

Beaten favorite Crackerjack King might not have been at his best with give in
the ground, according to rider Colm O’Donoghue.

“He traveled very well,” O’Donoghue noted. “He really needed firmer ground,
but he ran a very solid race. He handled the ground good and traveled well, but
he really needs more firm going to fire his best shot.”

Jockey Jamie Spencer said that Treasure Beach’s race ended before it really
began.

“He got squeezed out at the start,” Spencer said. “The race was over after
that.”

Trainer Mike Stidham reported that Willcox Inn failed to stay the distance.

“We answered the question about a mile and a quarter — I think it’s a little
far for him,” Stidham said. “He can go a mile, a mile and an eighth. Plenty of
spots for that.”

Little Mike is now a millionaire with a bankroll of $1,436,412 from a record
of 19-11-2-1. The Florida homebred was branded as a Gulfstream Park specialist
for some time, in light of his scores in the Grade 3 Ft. Lauderdale, Grade 3
Canadian Turf and Grade 3 Appleton in 2011.

Sidelined for more than eight months by a condylar fracture, Little Mike
picked up right where he left off with an allowance win last December, and
extended his winning streak to four in the January 28 Florida Sunshine Millions
Turf. Little Mike’s skein ended with a fourth in the March 3 renewal of the
Canadian Turf, surrendering to the victorious Doubles Partner and third Data
Link, but he turned the tables on both in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic. He
shipped to Hollywood Park for the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile on June 30, where he
was embroiled in a speed duel and tired to third.

Sired by Spanish Steps, the five-year-old bay gelding is out of the winning
Wavering Monarch mare Hay Jude. He is a half-brother to Grade 3-placed multiple
stakes hero Little Nick, who was also in the news Saturday, albeit for all the
wrong reasons. Little Nick is the errant horse who collided with Jackson Bend
during training hours at Saratoga.

The only other prominent family members in recent years are multiple Grade
3-placed stakes scorer Linear and Gold Pleasure, a Group 1 victor in his native
Brazil.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com